Page 4: Instructions. How to build a wishing well

Step 4: Make a plywood circle.
Make a circle out of plywood with a diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the wishing well.

The plywood circle is to be placed temporarily inside the wishing well with the purpose of holding the wishing well sides in a circular shape until the galvanized strap has been fixed firmly in place.

How to make the circle.....
Using a narrow piece of wood (pivot stick), nail one end to the middle of the plywood sheet (axis point) allowing the wood piece to turn in a full circle.


Make the length of the pivot stick from the nail to the end (the radius) according to the equation below.

The idea of the plywood circle is to ensure that the wishing well will keep its circular shape while the galvanized straps are being fixed in place.

The equation: what size should the plywood circle be?
The diameter of the plywood circle should be slightly less than the diameter of the inside of the wishing well.

Measure the overall length of the 26 palings and the 2 extended palings and divide that by 3.17.
For example: if each paling is 90mm (3 1/2") wide, then the overall length will be 2520mm (98").
Therefore, the required diameter of the plywood circle will be 2520mm (98") divided by 3.17 = 795mm (31") thus the radius will be 397.5mm (15 1/2") which is half of the diameter.
The diameter is the distance from one side of a circle to the other side across the middle.
The radius is the distance from the side of a circle to the center.

So, in this case, the length of the pivot stick from the nail to the end should be 397.5mm (15 1/2") long.

IN SHORT: Divide the length of the wall by 3.17 and then divide that by 2 to find the required radius.

For your information: the approximate diameter of a circle can be found by dividing the circumference (outside edge) by 3.14.
The exact diameter of a circle can be found by dividing the circumference by pi. Pi = 3.14159265.....on and on forever.

The shape of this wishing well is not a true circle. It is really a polygon with 28 sides called a icosikaioctagon. In other words, sort of a circle.

When the pivot stick is the right length and the axis point is fixed, hold a pencil at the end of it, rotate and mark a circle (see pictures above).
Then cut the circle out with a jig-saw.

Step 5: Stand the well and form a circle.
Stand the well upright and form an approximate circle.
Join the first and last palings together and fix by nailing through the galvanized strap.

Partially hammer three or four temporary nails around the inside of the well, just above the galvanized metal strap to prevent the plywood circle from falling in.

Position the plywood circle on top of the temporary nails inside the wishing well.

The plywood circle will hold the wishing well in shape until the galvanized strap has been fixed in place.

Step 6: Strap the top of the outside.
The galvanized strap can now be fixed in place around the well 100mm (4") down from the top.
Nail firstly all the way around with one nail in the middle of each paling and then add another two nails as close as possible to the edges of each paling.
Use 40mm (1 1/2") galvanized flathead nails.

Step 7: Strap the bottom of the outside.
Measure, cut and fit a temporary brace in between the extended palings (see picture).

Kick the plywood circle out from the top of the well and fit it in the bottom. It may take a bit of wiggling and rolling to get it in.

The galvanized strap can now be fixed in place around the well 100mm (4") up from the bottom. Roll the well as needed and nail in the same manner as explained in step 6.

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